LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - MAY 06: ahead of the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 06, 2022 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Twenty eager colts breaking from the starting gate, a full house for the first time in three years, and a Kentucky Derby lacking a dominant favorite.Things could get interesting Saturday at Churchill Downs, where the winners in 2019 and 2021 were disqualified.The biggest question for these 3-year-olds is whether they can handle running 1 1/4 miles while jostling for position in front of the biggest crowd they’ll ever see and hear."Things can get a little dodgy throughout the race, having to go through holes and take dirt and take some bumps along the way," trainer Chad Brown said. "You just never know what’s going to happen when you open the gate."Zandon is the early 3-1 favorite and breaks from the No.
10 post, which has produced the second-most winners with nine. The dark bay colt is trained by Brown, seeking his first Derby win after six losses.RELATED: Kentucky Derby 2022: What to know about first leg of horse racing's Triple Crown"It would mean everything," said Brown, who has had his own stable for 15 years. "It’s so hard to get these Derby horses, especially the favorite."After two years of COVID-19 restrictions, the Derby returns in all its noisy, colorful glory.
Attendance is back to full capacity, which means about 150,000 people jammed into Churchill Downs, dressed to the nines and fortified by mint juleps served in souvenir glasses.